Education in Poland

This article is about education in modern Poland. For other periods in Polish history, see Education in Poland (disambiguation).
Education in Poland
Primary
Szkoła podstawowa, Warsaw
Secondary
Liceum Ogólnokształcące, Białystok
Tertiary
The Collegium Novum of the Jagiellonian University in Kraków

Education in Poland is compulsory; every child must receive education from when they are 6 years old until they are 18 years old.[1] It is also mandatory for 6-year-old children to receive one year of kindergarten (Polish: przedszkole, literally pre-school) education, before starting primary school (Polish: szkoła podstawowa) at 6 years old. Primary school lasts eight years (grades 1–8), and students must take a final exam at the end of the eighth grade. After graduating from primary school, people typically go on to attend secondary school (Polish: szkoła średnia), which lasts 4 or 5 years.[2] They can also choose to educate themselves towards a specific profession or trade, and receive work experience and qualifications through apprenticeships. After graduating from secondary school and passing the final exam, called the matura, one can pursue a higher education at a university, college, etc.

The Commission of National Education established by King Stanisław August Poniatowski in 1773 in Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth was the first ministry of education in the world,[3][4] and the traditions continue. The international PISA 2012 praised the progresses made by Polish education in mathematics, science and literacy; the number of top-performers having increased since 2003 while the number of low-performers decreased again.[5] In 2014, the Pearson/Economist Intelligence Unit rated Polish education as fifth best in Europe and tenth best in the world.[6]

There are several alternatives for the upper secondary education later on, the most common being the four (three until 2017) years of a liceum or five (four until 2017) years in a technikum. Both end with a maturity exam (matura, similar to French baccalauréat), and may be followed by several forms of upper education, leading to Bachelor: licencjat or inżynier (the Polish Bologna Process first cycle qualification), Master: magister (the Polish Bologna Process second cycle qualification) and eventually PhD: doktor (the Polish Bologna Process third cycle qualification). The system of education in Poland allows for 22 years of continuous, uninterrupted schooling.[7]

  1. ^ "Postępowanie egzekucyjne w zakresie obowiązku szkolnego- Biuletyn Informacji Publicznej Miasta Krakowa - BIP MK".
  2. ^ "Szkolnictwo średnie i policealne (ISCED 3 i 4) | Eurydice". 9 October 2017.
  3. ^ Jan IJ. van der Meer (2002). Literary Activities and Attitudes in the Stanislavian Age in Poland (1764–1795): A Social System?. Rodopi. p. 233. ISBN 978-90-420-0933-2. Retrieved 26 April 2012.
  4. ^ Norman Davies, God's Playground: A History of Poland, Columbia University Press, 2005, ISBN 0-231-12819-3, Google Print, p.167
  5. ^ PISA 2012 Results in Focus (PDF), OECD, 3 December 2013, retrieved 15 January 2014
  6. ^ Top 20 Education Systems BBC. Source: Pearson/Economist Intelligence Unit.
  7. ^ Cite error: The named reference BARIE archive was invoked but never defined (see the help page).